


Man's Best Friend

by cresswells



Series: Lessons in Secret-Keeping [6]
Category: Bloodlines Series - Richelle Mead
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-24
Updated: 2013-05-24
Packaged: 2017-12-12 19:38:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,109
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/815255
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cresswells/pseuds/cresswells
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Sydney and Adrian say goodbye to their youngest, scaliest friend.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Man's Best Friend

On the last day of his life, I jerked awake to Hopper the callistana trying to burrow his snout in my ear.

I swatted the little creature away without even thinking about the gesture, and instantly regretted it. I had no time to show him any affection though. It was eight o'clock in the morning and I, Sydney Sage, had fallen asleep while trying to pull my first all-nighter. I'd researched relentlessly throughout the last week, taking breaks only when necessary and surviving on a maximum of five hours a day… and now my time was up and I had absolutely no way of preventing what was about to happen.

One billion spells for summoning all kinds of demons from unknown dimensions and not one would tell me how to keep an overfed little runt of a creature around for a little while longer.

Hopper had saved my life countless times over the last year. Adrian's life, too. And yet, now that I finally had the chance to return the favour, I was failing. According to Ms. Terwilliger, the callistana would simply turn back into an ordinary crystal once the year and a day was up. I didn't know how to feel about that. It seemed wrong, somehow. Hopper had never liked being banished. We rarely used that spell anymore; it was simpler and more humane to keep him around constantly.

I pulled the nearest book towards me – one of many ancient, musty tomes on the history of demonic summoning spells that I'd brought from a rare books dealer. Right now, Adrian's living room looked less like the apartment of a struggling art student and more like a second-hand bookshop specialising in books on the arcane.

Hopper sniffed the book curiously and I spared a moment in-between flicking through the pages to let him nibble on my fingers. The little demon was quieter than usual this morning. It was like he knew what was about to happen. The very thought made me pull my hand back and turn the pages even faster.

"Sage?" I glanced up. Adrian stood in the doorway wearing just his boxers. He had dark rings around his eyes and I knew he'd hardly slept at all last night.

"Can you put the kettle on?" I asked him, already turning back to the thick tome in my hands.

He didn't move. "You didn't come to bed last night."

"I wasn't tired."

"You _look_ tired."

"Adrian, I don't have time for this. I need to concentrate," I snapped. I slammed the book shut in frustration, sending dust flying in all directions. Hopper flopped over and sneezed and it was so cute it made me want to cry.

I felt my face crumple. This was stupid. I was wasting my time searching for a spell that didn't exist, and for what? Just a stupid, squeaky, spoilt demon which would probably just go back to its own dimension once its allotted time was up. But what if he didn't? None of my books could tell me whether a callistana died or simply returned to its former realm after death. What if it was the former? What if Hopper was really, truly dying?

I grabbed another book, trying to blink back my tears. The words on the cover were blurry and I swiped furiously at my eyes.

"Honey, stop." Adrian was by my side, gently tugging the book from my hands. "There's nothing you can do. Don't waste the time he has left."

"Don't say that. He is _not_ going to die," I said stubbornly.

"Sage," Adrian said, and to my astonishment, his voice cracked. I looked up at him. His eyes were red. For the first time since I'd met Adrian Ivashkov, he looked… well, awful. I'd seen him lovesick, drunk, hung-over, kidnapped, beaten, and driven to the brink of insanity. But I'd never seen him look so defeated.

I reached out to him and the next thing I knew, we were in each others' arms, clinging to each other in sheer desperation. He pressed his cheek into my neck and I could feel him shaking. I tugged him over to the couch and Hopper followed us dutifully, moving slightly slower than usual. When the little dragon reached us, I held out my palm and let him crawl onto it.

I'd never had anything similar to a pet before. I'd never understood how people could get so attached to animals. Cats and dogs seemed more like a nuisance than anything else. An expensive nuisance. But I hadn't understood that a bond between two thinking, breathing, feeling creatures could transcend species. Hopper had been there for Adrian and I throughout the defining year of our lives, during the good times and the bad times. He'd been a steady source of comfort and I couldn't imagine life without him now.

The dragon crawled from my palm up to the crook of my elbow. He tucked his spiky tail between his legs and pressed his tiny head against my arm. I let out a shaky sob and wrapped my arms around him as tightly as I could without hurting him. Adrian held me closer, supporting us both.

"We'll name our first child after him," Adrian said quietly after a few minutes of silence. "Hopper Junior. Or Hopper II."

I choked on a laugh. It seemed wrong to laugh right now, but I appreciated Adrian's attempt to lighten the mood. "Do you want our kid to be beaten up?" I teased weakly.

"Our kid will be the best-looking, most kick-ass dhampir the world has ever seen. No one will dare lay a finger on Hopper Ivashkov-Sage the Second."

"What if we have a girl?"

Adrian rested his palm on Hopper's head and the dragon let out a happy little squeak. "Why should that matter? Hopper is totally a unisex name."

I smiled and lay my cheek against his shoulder. "Let's make it his or her middle name and pray the kid never finds out and disowns us."

"Deal."

We stayed there for at least another hour. Usually, by this time in the morning, Hopper was demanding to be fed, but today, he was content just to sleep in our arms. We watched his chest rise and fall, both fighting back tears as the seconds ticked away until only a few were remaining. Until his breathing halted and the glass demon prised open his eyes one last time.

Hopper Ivashkov-Sage left this world the way he arrived; staring up at the two people he loved the most.

And then his eyes closed forever, and we were left cradling a cold, hard lump of quartz.


End file.
